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Brazil’s first indigenous fashion show ‘a form of resistance’
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Catwalk power: Luana Melgueiro da Silva of the Amazon’s Baré tribe, presents a creation on Saturday during a fashion exhibition in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil. The exhibition is the country’s first to feature indigenous designers, stylists and models. (AFP/Michael Dantas)
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roudly donning majestic feathered headdresses, models sing an ode to the rain while a makeup artist draws geometric patterns on their faces, arms and thighs in preparation for Brazil's first ever indigenous fashion show.
"It is a feeling of happiness and pride," 19-year-old model Moan Munduruku told AFP ahead of his turn on the catwalk in Manaus, Brazil.
"We are very eager to show our talent in sewing, in crafts. To show the world that indigenous people can also succeed" in fashion, he said.
Moan is one of 37 models, both women and men, representing 15 indigenous groups of Brazil taking part in the monthlong Intercultural Exhibition of Indigenous Fashion in the largest city in the Brazilian Amazon.
For the entire month of April, its catwalk is to host the creations of 29 indigenous designers.
"It's a form of resistance, a way to overcome stereotypes," event organizer Reby Ferreira, 27, told AFP.
"Here in Manaus, unfortunately, many people are ashamed or even afraid to recognize that they have indigenous blood. Our goal is for everyone to feel included and to show our culture to everyone through these clothes."
